Paper 2 Section B Overview (AQA GCSE English Language) : Revision Note

Deb Orrock

Written by: Deb Orrock

Reviewed by: Kate Lee

Updated on

Writing section summary

Section B overview

  • Part of the non-fiction paper: you will write your own piece of non-fiction writing, giving your point of view on a topic

  • Section B is worth 40 marks in total

  • It counts as 25% of the GCSE

  • You are assessed on your writing skills, as well as your use and control of spelling, punctuation and grammar

Timings

  • Spend 45 minutes on Section B

In Section B: Writing of Paper 2 (Question 5) you will be asked to write in a specific genre, such as an article or letter. The question will specify a specific audience (e.g. a politician) and purpose (e.g. to persuade).

How long should I spend writing for Question 5?

You should aim to spend about 45 minutes on Section B, and aim to write three to four sides of A4. However, don’t spend all of that time writing. For the best marks, it’s crucial to plan your answer and, after it’s written, to check it for mistakes:

AQA GCSE English Language Paper 2 Section B Timings
Paper 2 Section B timings

For an expert guide on checking over your work, check out our exam skills page on How to Check and Proofread Your Writing at GCSE.

What am I tested on in Section B: Writing?

For Question 5, you are tested on your ability to create an effective piece of transactional writing. Transactional writing is writing that presents a particular point of view. You are also assessed on your use and control of spelling, punctuation and grammar (SPaG). 

Understanding the assessment objectives (AOs) of Section B in more detail will help you:

  • Know what skills you are expected to show in the exam

  • Help you identify areas to improve on

Section B

AO5

Content and organisation (24 marks)

  • Write clearly and creatively, using a suitable tone and style for your purpose and audience

  • Organise your ideas so your writing flows well and makes sense

AO6

Technical accuracy (16 marks)

  • Use a wide range of vocabulary and sentence types to make your writing interesting and effective.

  • Check spelling and punctuation to keep your writing accurate

Expert tips for the writing question

  1. Plan out your argument before you start writing

  • Before you create a plan, highlight on your question paper:

    • The genre

    • The audience

    • The purpose

  • Your ideas need to be convincing and well developed, which means it is essential to plan what you are going to include before you start writing:

    • You should spend about 10 minutes on planning

Planning checklist

Point of view

What is your argument? (Try to sum this up in one sentence)

Genre

What do you need to include to meet the expectations of a letter, article, etc.? (e.g. including “Dear X” and “Yours faithfully”) 

Structure

The beginning, middle and end planned

Counter-argument

Are you going to include a counter-argument? How might you answer these concerns?

  1. Level-up your writing

  • Examiners are looking for the use of ambitious vocabulary:

    • Just make sure you know how to spell more complex words

  • Include a range of punctuation:

    • Jot down some punctuation marks you want to use when planning

  • Vary your sentence types and forms:

    • Use a variety of short and longer sentences

    • Use complex and compound sentences, but also simple sentences for effect

  • Your paragraphs should be fluently linked, so think about how each links to the last

  1. Use a range of language devices

  • There are lots of linguistic devices you can employ in this type of writing, depending on the purpose of the task, but a useful acronym to remember in the exam is DAN FOREST PIE:

D

Direct address

Writing directly to your audience is a great way of showing the examiner that you have a thorough understanding of who you are writing for and how to address them. This is especially the case if you are writing to convince your audience of something

A

Audience

Including your audience is also a persuasive technique, such as “we all know that…”

N

Not only, but also

Good for adding to your arguments. For example, “Not only would this benefit the local economy, but also it has wider implications on a national level.”

F

Facts

Facts in an exam situation can be made up, but use them sparingly! Then they will have more impact

O

Opinions

If you are trying to persuade or convince an audience that your point of view is valid, then presenting your opinions as facts is one way of putting forward a strong argument

R

Rhetorical questions

Questions that do not require an answer are useful for engaging an audience, especially at the start of your piece of writing

E

Emotive language

Think carefully about your choice of language and the connotations certain words have. “Crowd” and “mob”, for example, have very different connotations, with “mob” being much more emotive (and negative). Choose your language depending on the effect you want to have on your reader

S

Statistics

Statistics, especially ones that are made up in an exam situation, should be used sparingly as part of the development of an argument. Do not over-rely on them

T

Triplets (rule of three)

Political speeches often use this technique to group together three related ideas for impact. This is not the same as just listing three things

P

Personal pronouns

Depending on the audience and purpose, make good use of “I”, “we” and “you”, which can give weight to your arguments

Imperatives

Commanding your audience should not be aggressive, but can be seen as a call to action. For example, “Act now to save the planet!”

E

Exaggeration

Well-considered exaggeration can be used for persuasive effect, especially if the topic is one you feel strongly about

For more details on how to include these (and other) language devices into your writing, see our revision note on Persuasive Language Techniques.

Learn more

For a more detailed breakdown of the question, guides on how to write in different genres, and model answers, check out the following revision notes:

Paper 2 Question 5: Format, Audience and Purpose

How to Write a Letter

How to Write an Article

How to Write a Speech

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Deb Orrock

Author: Deb Orrock

Expertise: English Content Creator

Deb is a graduate of Lancaster University and The University of Wolverhampton. After some time travelling and a successful career in the travel industry, she re-trained in education, specialising in literacy. She has over 16 years’ experience of working in education, teaching English Literature, English Language, Functional Skills English, ESOL and on Access to HE courses. She has also held curriculum and quality manager roles, and worked with organisations on embedding literacy and numeracy into vocational curriculums. She most recently managed a post-16 English curriculum as well as writing educational content and resources.

Kate Lee

Reviewer: Kate Lee

Expertise: English Content Creator

Kate has over 12 years of teaching experience as a Head of English and as a private tutor. Having also worked at the exam board AQA and in educational publishing, she's been writing educational resources to support learners in their exams throughout her career. She's passionate about helping students achieve their potential by developing their literacy and exam skills.